The Micro-Byte - November 2025

 

Techy Travel Tips

'Tis the season for travel, and before spending precious time with friends and family we need to brave delayed flights, crowded roads, and maybe even frightful weather. But fear not as your Apple devices can have your back and help you get through the challenges of everything from planes, to trains, to automobiles. Here are some tips to get you through it all. Boarding Passes We already know that we can get our boarding passes in the iPhone's Apple Wallet, but did you also know that if you have an Apple Watch your boarding pass is available there, too? Open the Wallet app on your Apple Watch and with a flick of your wrist you can scan and board your flight. One word of advice: Print out a paper hard-copy of your boarding pass just in case the tech fails you. It happens, and when it does you will be ready. For more info visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/123179 Triple Up on Maps If you are in to science, then you know that more is always better. And that's true when it comes to mapping apps on your iPhone. It's very important to be able to cross-reference from one to the other, as one will show a blocked road, while another may not. In addition to the pre-installed Apple Maps, download a copy of Google Maps along with Waze. Be sure to double-check your route in at least one other app. It may seem like overkill, but I have been directed to incorrect locations along closed roads before. Taking a minute to verify your track can save you a lot of time and stress. Pro-Tip for Flight Tracking Going back to the theme of double-checks and confirmations, just using your airline's app to get info on your flight doesn't give you the whole story. Downloading an app like FlightAware can show you your plane's entire daily itinerary, including its exact location, and if it is delayed or early. Medication & Supplement Reminders Being in a different country or time zone can totally mess with your medication and supplement schedule. Apple gives you the ability to track your meds in the Health app and even schedule reminders. To learn more, visit https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/track-your-medications-iph811670c81/ios Calendar Entries When traveling to a different time zone, be wary of how you enter in calendar entries. Depending on your settings in Calendar, or even with invites you receive, they may not show up at the correct time that you expect. A tip is to put the actual expected time, and even which time zone, in the title. Then when you get back home, you can make sure they line up with the time that they are supposed to happen.

Monthly Mini-Bytes - November 2025

 

Is iCloud Going to Delete Your Photos? We've all got the emails or the texts that say that we are out of iCloud Storage and Apple will delete all our photos unless we renew, or pay 2 Bitcoin, or whatever. It's all a scam -- every single one of them. And they are getting more frequent, more aggressive, and even more convincing. But they still are a scam -- totally fake. None of the major cloud storage companies whether Google or Apple will delete any of your data if you run out of space. They will just not allow you to upload any more data, or in extreme cases, require you to renew your subscription prior to accessing saved data on the cloud. That's it. If you are out of iCloud Storage, your photos will not sync, but remain on your phone, iPad or computer until you pay for more storage, or clean off enough room for the process to restart. Here is a quick way to check on your iCloud Storage: On your iPhone go to Settings -> [Your Name] -> iCloud. Right at the very top it will show you your storage and how much you are using. It's a super simple way to put your mind at rest and if you do need more space you can choose the Storage section and have the option to Change Your Plan on the next screen.

macOS Tahoe May Break Your Printer

Well, it won't really physically break your printer, but many printers in fact are not compatible with macOS Tahoe. After upgrading you may find that you cannot print and your beloved old printer is no longer supported. It's frustrating and there's really only one fix... to buy a new printer. If you are considering a new laser printer, whether color or otherwise, consider a Brother. They are very good and have been extremely reliable. If you are looking for an inkjet, then the Epson Workforce series continues to be a solid option. Usually you can find a good one on sale for around $100. To learn more about macOS Tahoe visit: https://www.apple.com/os/macos/

Should You Renew AppleCare?

AppleCare has undergone some major changes and we will cover this more in depth later, but for now many of us are getting prompted to renew our AppleCare on some of our devices. AppleCare extends Apple's warranty for 3 years for Macs and 2 years for mobile devices from the date of purchase. You also have a loss/damage option available on some plans, which is a nice thing if you accidentally run over your iPhone. But is it worth it to continue coverage after the initial period? Industry standard life cycle for a phone is two years and for a computer it's three. That doesn't sound like a lot, and most of us get a lot more life out of our devices. That being said, extending a warranty on your dollar past that period may not make a lot of sense. Something like a defect will usually show up within the first year, and especially after the end of the initial AppleCare window. So, you have to weigh the costs with your plans for your computer and your device. If the loss/damage protection is important, this may be your motivation, but you will need to balance the cost/benefit and risks as with any extended warranty. Personally, we do purchase AppleCare, but find that the initial coverage period is adequate protection for the way we use our Apple products.